Camp David, US, May 20 (QNA) – The Group of Eight (G8) leaders called on the Syrian government and all parties in the country to immediately and fully adhere to a six-point peace plan brokered by United Nations-Arab League joint envoy Kofi Annan.
The leaders called on Syria to immediately cease all violence “so as to enable a Syrian-led, inclusive political transition leading to a democratic, plural political system,” according to the statement.
Voicing support for Annan, the leaders welcomed the deployment of the UN monitors in Syria, and urged “all parties, in particular the Syrian government, to fully cooperate with the mission.”
Concerning other issues, the G8 leaders agreed boosting jobs and growth are their top priority and signaled the importance of Greece remaining in the Eurozone at a low-key summit overshadowed by the Eurozone debt crisis.
He pointed to the work the countries have done in rescuing the global economy from “freefall” over the past three years and said that Europe would be able to solve its problems.
The leaders of the G8 – Japan, Canada, France, Germany, Britain, Italy, Russia and the US – also agreed on the importance of growth and jobs, amid “significant headwinds” in the global economy, they said. But they acknowledged disagreements, alluding to ongoing debates about stimulus versus austerity.
Meanwhile, the G8 vowed to assist Afghanistan economically as security for the country is handed over to Afghan troops in coming years and to engage in a new private-public partnership to fight hunger in Africa.
The leaders stopped short however of making firm financial commitments, which will be agreed at a donor conference in Tokyo in July.
The two-day G8 summit kicked off on Friday evening at Camp David, the US presidential retreat in Maryland, with wide- ranging topics on the agenda, including the Eurozone debt crisis, Iran, Syria, global energy and food security.
On Sunday, the discussion about Afghanistan moves to Chicago, where NATO’s 28 leaders, plus representatives from about 30 other countries including Pakistan, are to discuss in detail the drawdown of foreign combat troops in 2014.
Britain is to host the 2013 G8 summit. (QNA)
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QNA 0609 GMT 2012/05/20
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